Forget-Me-Not
by Snowkhione
Summary: Lucy moves to a new town and meets a few... interesting people.
1. Chapter 1

Lucy yawned.

She had pulled an all-nighter writing, and it was starting to take its toll.

She yawned once more. While stretching, she got up to go get herself ready for work. She worked in a flower shop in Fiore.

It was an okay job, but her real passion was writing. As soon as her first book took off, she would be outta there.

Today, she decided on a short black skirt, black flats, and a pink spaghetti tank top. It usually got hot in the stuffy shop, since there were more than a few tropical plants.

She grabbed her wallet and her phone and stepped out onto the landing before remembering her keys.

She groaned and walked back inside to grab them off the counter. On her way back out again, she grabbed a bagel and locked her door. She heard someone else's door lock behind them and turned around.

Since the hallways were quite tiny, she ended up nose to nose with a cute pink headed guy her age.

"Sorry!" he said, smiling. It made butterflies flutter in her stomach.

"Oh no, it's okay." She tried to take a step back and realized that her door was closed behind her.

He tried moving around her, only to trip and fall on his face.

She tried not to laugh out loud as he tried to get back up. She failed.

He was chuckling too. "Hey, that's not funny! That hurt!"

She just shook her head. "I can see that."

They stood there for a few seconds in awkward silence, before he stuck out his hand.

"I'm Natsu."

She was startled, but shook his hand anyways. "Lucy."

"Nice name." he said. He smiled again. "Well, I'm off. I hav'ta go to work now."

She nodded. "Yup, me too." After he left, Lucy remembered that she had left her purse inside her apartment, and groaned loudly.

Twenty minutes later, Lucy finally arrived at work and began working the counter. She became bored, and pulled out a little travel-sized notebook she kept in her purse. She grabbed a pen and began thinking.

 _What do I write?_

She then got an idea, and began jotting it down as fast as possible.

She didn't stop writing until her hand hurt. As she was stretching out her fingers, she heard a loud voice coming progressively louder as they walked towards the shop.

She immediately put away her notebook and put back the pen.

She heard a loud crash and then arguing, followed by cursing.

She stayed behind the counter, not wanting to give any signs that they were open.

 _Maybe the bandits are back?_ She thought.

She tried to lean over the counter to look through the window to see who it was. She caught sight of pink hair and she started panicking.

 _Is he a part of the bandits? Is he dangerous? Oh my god I shook his hand. Now he knows where I live!_

Suddenly the door busted open and Natsu was standing there, fighting with a raven-haired guy who had no shirt.

They were rough-housing, and Natsu tried to give the other guy a noogie. Guy #2 punched Natsu.

She ran out from behind the counter. "Hey! This isn't a bar, you know! Either buy something or leave!"

Guy #2 shook his head at Natsu. "Sorry Miss. I meant to come here alone, but this loser followed me here."

"Frost-Breath, you asked me to come!"

"Flame-brain, I asked you to keep Juvia from following me!"

Lucy was trying to follow the conversation and was still confused.

"So, wait, hang on-" they both looked at her. "He's trying to pick up flowers for his girlfriend, and Natsu here followed him?" she turned to Raven-hair.

He nodded. "That's about right. I was wondering if you have any blue Orchids? They're her favorite."

Lucy nodded, and picked a pot that had orchids that were dark blue with deep violet in the petals. She handed them to him as he was pulling out his wallet.

"How much?" he asked.

She looked at the tag at the bottom. "It's on sale, so 1,000 jewel."

He looked relieved as he pulled out the money and handed it to her. She gave him a care package to go with it and he left, not once looking back at Natsu, who was looking through the Primroses and Tulips.

As soon as the other guy left, Natsu zoomed up to the front where Lucy was now, putting away the money.

He leaned over the counter. He whispered, "How do you send a bouquet of flowers that says 'I hate you'?"

She leaned back and frowned. "Who's it for? The guy that just left?"

He nodded.

She frowned deeper. "But wouldn't it be weird to send him flowers? I mean, he is a guy. Plus, his girlfriend might get the wrong idea."

Natsu hit his head on the counter. "God, you're right, I'm so stupid. How would I do that without making it weird?"

"Are you for real?"

He nodded. "I want to play a prank on him, but I don't have any-" he got a crazed look on his face.

"Actually, I just thought of something-"

"Oh no no no. No."

"What?"

"I don't want any part in this."

"Oh come on, you would just be bait!"

"The crazed lunatic who busted down the door thinks that just 'being bait' is a great idea! Like heck it is!"

He frowned. "I thought you wanted to help."

"I never said that."

It suddenly became a stand off.

"What do you think I should do then?"

"I don't know, but if it will make him angry, you probably shouldn't do it at all!"

He sighed and looked at the ceiling. "You're right. I should probably just give up."

"Somehow, I don't exactly believe you."

He frowned and noticed a pen on the table from earlier when Lucy had been writing with earlier.

He picked it up and grinned. "I have an even better idea."

"Somehow I think it's even worse than earlier."

He smiled even bigger. "Wanna help?"

Lucy was suspicious. On one hand, she had no friends seeing as she was new, and didn't know how this could get worse. On the other hand, she had no friends because she was new, and they might not take it out on her and label it as poor judgement.

She groaned. "Fine, but I have a better idea."

He perked up immediately. "What is it?"

"Tomorrow on his chair, put a burning coal. But use that as a back up plan. The first prank should be a water bucket on the door. Then, after those, put roses on his porch to make his girlfriend jealous, or vice versa." He was nodding and taking notes throughout her ideas.

"Or, you could just tell him you got a tattoo or a girlfriend or something."

Natsu grinned. "Thanks, Luigi!"

"It's Lucy."

"Whatever. Later!" he took off and Lucy was left once more to herself.

She sighed. He was quite the handful. she felt bad for the raven-haired boy who was about to have the worst day ever tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi guys! This is only my second story, and our little family has grown bigger already! :D Shout out to Star197 for the first one to comment! XD

Here's the second chapter, so please enjoy! :)

Side note: Natsu and Lucy do switch POVs in this fic, so I'll try to make it obvious who is narrating in every chapter. With that out of the way, Enjoy!

* * *

Natsu woke up early the next morning, almost too excited to eat breakfast, which was way out of character for him. He was ready to seize the day, and prank Gray of course. He stretched and got out of bed. He put on his usual outfit of a t-shirt with a dragon design, and a pair of jeans with holes.

He scratched behind the ears of his little blue cat, Happy.

"Ready to go Happy? We're gonna prank Gray so bad, he won't be able to sit down for a month!"

Happy meowed loudly and jumped off his bed. Natsu sighed loudly and laid back down on his bed, and his thoughts drifted to the pretty blonde from yesterday. What was her name again? Luigi? No, Lucy.

He sighed again and he heard his cat knock a cup off the counter. His apartment was a mess of food wrappers, bottles of soda, and clothes. He stood up, kicking yesterday's outfit out of the way and walking to the kitchen for a quick breakfast. He poured Happy a bowl of food and grabbed himself a granola bar from the pantry. As he was eating, he heard the door across the hall where Lucy lived open and close. He suddenly started rushing around so he could meet her. He didn't know why, but he wanted to catch her out in the hallway. He put Happy in his room and ran to the door. He opened it and quickly shut it, looking around for Lucy.

He spotted her at the bottom of the stairs, looking through her purse. He grinned and walked down the stairs to meet her.

"Hey Lucy!"

She looked up and smiled. "Hey Natsu."

He rubbed his hands together in a mock evil way. "Ready to prank Gray?"

She frowned. "I thought we agreed that I wasn't a part of this?"

He pouted. "You're no fun Luce! How am I supposed to do all of this on my own?"

She smirked. "With effort." She turned and left him standing at the edge of the stairs, more confused than when they had started this conversation.

He shrugged and kept walking. He knew Gray usually woke up at a reasonable time, so he wanted to be at Fairy Tail before Gray showed up. On his way, he remembered that his dad was on a week-long trip, and wouldn't be back until next Monday. He sighed and put in his headphones in, trying to drown out the early morning sounds of Magnolia.

When he arrived at Fairy Tail, he ripped out his earbuds and ran inside. He looked side to side enthusiastically, trying to spot Gray and Juvia. When he didn't see them, he grinned and ran to the fire place to grab a hot coal.

"Natsu, what are you up now?" it was Mirajane, who worked behind the counter and sold food and drinks.

He shrugged and replied, "I'm just going to prank Gray, that's all."

She sighed and shook her head. "Natsu, you can't grab it with your bare hands, you'll burn yourself!"

He sighed dejectedly. "Well, then how else am I supposed to prank Gray?"

Mirajane went quiet for a second, helping him think. "Well, you could always just tell him something that isn't true."

He remembered Lucy had said the same thing yesterday. "Thanks for the help, Mira."

"No problem, but just think, if you put the coal on the wrong chair. That would've hurt!" she giggled and went to go open up the bar.

He sat at a table and sighed dejectedly.

 _How else am I supposed to prank Gray? What lie would he believe?_

Natsu sat there for a good thirty minutes before coming to a conclusion. He was either going to drop the whole thing, or come up with a lie like a secret admirer.

And one of those was more appealing than the other. Except, he didn't like the admirer part…

"Hey, Flame Brain, why're sitting by yourself?" Gray yelped. Coincidentally, Natsu had decided to use the coal prank anyways, and it had worked like a charm.

"What the heck was that for?"

Natsu grinned. "I got you back for yesterday, so now we're even!"

Gray rolled his eyes and went to go ask Mirajane for an ice pack. Juvia walked in, looking so happy it seemed she might explode with happiness.

"Gray-sama gave Juvia-chan flowers!" Juvia squealed and ran to hug Gray.

Natsu yawned and walked zombie-like to the door.

"Hey, Natsu, where are you going?" it was Wendy.

"Hey Wendy, I'm just going for a walk."

She nodded. "Okay, just wondering."

Just then, the door opened and Levy walked in with a blond girl. It was Lucy.

"Look, Levy, I know you would love for me to come here too, but I have a afternoon shift at the shop and- " She stopped talking when she saw Natsu.

He grinned. "Hey Luce! What're you doing here?"

She smiled. "Levy's showing me around, since this is my first time."

"Really? You've never been here before?" he was surprised. Lucy seemed like the type of girl to come every single day.

"Nope," She grinned. "Well, see you around." She continued walking around with Levy, and Natsu was watching. No one noticed but Gray, naturally.

"You guys actually kept in touch?" he sounded amused.

"No, she just lives in my apartment building. On the same floor. Right across the hall. She smells like paper." Natsu started babbling and before he knew it, Gray was chuckling.

"Dude, how do you even know all of that?" Gray asked.

Natsu blinked. "I don't know, yesterday I met her in the hallway, then I saw her again at the flower shop." He shrugged.

Gray just laughed and shook his head. "You're really weird Natsu, you know that?"

Natsu just glared. "Whatever, Freezer Breath."


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! Here's a little Father's Day special ;) Enjoy!

Lucy yawned. Since today was Father's Day, she had the day off from work. In fact, it seemed the whole town was taking a break. Huge parties were being thrown, and everyone was having fun. Everyone, it seemed, except Lucy.

She was wrapped up like a flower covered burrito in her favorite Cherry Blossom blanket from online. Her dog, Plue, was laying on his bed a few feet from the couch where Lucy was resting. She had been watching a movie, but she had turned it off after a little while. Since her father had died, she was usually all alone on Father's Day. She usually just visited his grave, left a bouquet, maybe said a prayer or two, and then went home. Today, she'd done exactly that, but it didn't seem to make it as happy as it usually did. She looked over to the side table next to the couch and stared at the last picture that she'd taken with her father. It had seemed so long ago…

Lucy had went to study abroad in Magnolia and had decided to stay. Before she left, she'd taken one last picture with her father before hugging him before jumping into the car and driving off. She now wished she had taken more time to say a proper goodbye. It had been seven years.

She then stared up at the ceiling before decided to get up and try to take a walk. She grabbed her purse and walked out, determined to make herself feel better.

As she walked down the street, she saw Fairy Tail coming into view, she made the decision to see if anyone was inside. She peeked in and immediately regretted it. Everyone and their family was inside the guild and seemed to be partying full force. Juvia and Gray were sitting by themselves, since none of their families could have made it. Cana and her father were drinking and cracking jokes. No surprises there. As she peered around, she noticed one familiar face was missing. Where in Fiore was Natsu?

As she shrugged it off and continued her walk, she almost bumped into a tall man with bright almost-tomato-colored hair.

"Sorry sir! I didn't see you there."

"Oh, it's no problem. By any chance, have you seen a teenage boy with pink hair? Kind of energetic?" the man put his hands up to mimic how wild the hair was. Lucy shook her head.

"I know him, but I haven't seen him at all today. Sorry to disappoint you." He sighed and looked more annoyed than upset.

"Well, if you see him, tell him his dad is going to be at home."

She gasped. "You're his dad?" he nodded.

"Now that you know who I am, could you tell me who you are? Natsu has so many friends these days."

"Lucy Heartfilia." He nodded.

"Natsu talks about you all the time. Well, at least whenever I'm home." It seemed that he was babbling now, trying to get to know her more.

"Speak of the devil!" he said. Lucy turned around and there was the salmon-haired boy himself.

He grinned. "Hey dad- Lucy, what're you doing here?" his face was a mask of shock as he walked towards them.

"I was on a walk and decided to check out the guild, and met your dad here, who was looking for you."

Natsu's father nodded. "By the way Lucy, I'm surprised you're not home with your loved ones? Or could they not make it?"

Lucy felt her chest tighten and tried to keep face straight whenever she replied. "My dad died a year ago."

She felt the atmosphere tense up immensely and felt very guilty for it.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Lucy." The man replied softly.

She returned a soft smile. "It's alright, it wasn't anything that could have been helped."

Natsu looked like he was calculating how far he could punt Gray across a football field with one kick. "Hey dad," he whispered something to his dad that Lucy didn't hear, and his father replied something equally quiet.

Natsu grinned. "Lucy, want to come to have dinner with us?"

She blinked. She was not expecting such a fast development in this conversation. She thought about it for a few seconds before agreeing.

As they walked back, Natsu cracked jokes, trying to keep the mood as light as possible. His father was doing the same. When they arrived, Lucy asked to put her purse in her apartment before they ate.

"You live in this apartment building?" he seemed confused.

"I only moved here a month ago, and I met Natsu last week." She explained.

"Dad, just let her put her stuff away." Natsu groaned. Lucy giggled and walked to her room. Before she closed the door, she heard something that made her blush from her head to her toes.

"Natsu, why didn't you tell me that she lived across the hall? You could have invited her over anytime!"

His father said.

Lucy quickly put her things away and walked across the hall to Natsu's apartment. When she knocked, a boy a few years older than Natsu with black hair opened the door.

"Oh, you must be Lucy. Come on in." he said. He opened the door wide enough for Lucy to walk in and closed the door behind him. "I'm Zeref, Natsu's older brother." He held out his hand for Lucy to shake.

Lucy shook his hand. "I'm Lucy, Natsu's friend that he met by waking up at the same time as me."

Zeref chuckled and walked into the kitchen where a short blond girl was attempting to help Natsu's dad cook.

Zeref pulled a tray of almost-burnt potatoes out of the oven.

Lucy looked around at the cozy little apartment. It mimicked her own, but the layout of furniture was extremely different. Where her couch was in her apartment, there was a mattress on the floor next to a pile of clothes that Natsu was currently shoving into a dresser.

Natsu noticed Lucy. "Oh, hey Lucy!" all the clothes popped out of their hiding place, and he swore loudly, to which Zeref and his father started telling him off for. Lucy giggled and looked around the apartment once more before seeing the blond girl standing before her.

"Hi, I'm Mavis, Zeref's fiancé. You must be Lucy." She shook Lucy's hand and led her to a small sitting room.

"Hi." Lucy sat across from Mavis in a cushy arm chair.

Natsu walked over and sat near Lucy. "So, what're we talking about?"

"Natsu!" his father called. "Come help me and Zeref in the kitchen!" Natsu groaned and got up. He walked slowly into the kitchen, almost zombie like. Lucy giggled and continued to make small talk with Mavis.

"So," Mavis said. "Do you like Nastu?"

Lucy blushed blood red. "W-what? Where did this topic come from?!"

Mavis giggled. "I was just wondering. Natsu talks about you all the time whenever he can, so I figured you two were dating."

Lucy let loose a small awkward chuckle. "No, we're just friends. That's all." Mavis nodded.

"I see."

"Girls! Dinner's ready!" Igneel yelled. Lucy and Mavis continued making small talk while walking to a dining room that seemed a little messy. It was covered in forms and papers, each was covered in its own layer of dust about an inch thick. It made Lucy sneeze.

Mavis giggled. "Sorry, Zeref and I were reading the other day and forgot to pick up our mess." Everyone began cleaning off the dining table so they had room for the food.

The seating arrangement was one that made Lucy a of a nervous wreck for reasons unknown even to her. Lucy sat in between Mavis on her left, and Natsu across from her, and Igneel on her right. The dining table was in a circle, so everyone was facing each other.

Everyone began filling their plates, the delicious aromas thick and heavy, making Lucy sluggish. Everyone was cracking jokes, eating, and having food. Lucy was attacked with questions about why she moved to Magnolia, how she met Natsu, the usual family questions. Apparently no one had warned Zeref about Natsu's and Lucy's friendship, and had ask the question that Lucy felt was most uncomfortable, especially in this atmosphere.

"So, how long have you and Natsu been dating?" Zeref asked intrigued.

Lucy and Natsu both turned red at the same time. Lucy actually dropped her fork on her plate, making a loud clatter.

"What?" Natsu was pinker than his fluffy salmon hair.

Zeref chuckled. "Well come on now, Natsu you talk about Lucy non-stop, it's very obvious."

Mavis was staring down at her meal, trying to ignore the conversation. Lucy wished she could do the same.

"Wait, Natsu! You didn't tell me you were in a relationship with Lucy! I would've invited her over sooner if-"

"Dad! We're not dating!"

Everyone went quiet. Zeref seemed baffled by this new development.

"Really?" he asked.

Natsu nodded. "Why would I date her if I've only known her for a week?"

After that little speed bump, everyone continued on with the meal, trying to ignore the now growing tension. Lucy continued to answer all of their questions, even if some of them were a bit uncomfortable.

When Mavis pulled out a surprise cake, Igneel laughed out loud.

"So THAT'S why you didn't let me open the oven." He chuckled.

They all laughed. After everyone was served a piece, they began eating once more, this time with coffee.

Lucy drank all of her coffee, even asked for a second cup. They showed her where the coffee maker was, and she began making her own, when she felt a presence behind her. She whipped around to find herself nose-to-nose with Natsu.

"Hey." He said. He didn't seem fazed at all that they were this close to each other. She blushed and almost dropped her cup.

"Hi." She turned around and began putting cream and sugar in her coffee. She was aware that he hadn't moved back, and her heart was pounding faster and faster in her chest, like a racehorse on a track, ready to win.

When she finished, she turned around, and while she had been unaware, he had moved back a few steps, and was waiting patiently for his turn to make another cup of coffee. She tried not to make eye contact as she walked back into the dining room, where Igneel was on his third piece of cake, and Mavis and Zeref were whispering to each other quietly.

"Lucy!" Igneel said. "Welcome back." He must've noticed Lucy looked a little disturbed, because he suddenly became alarmed. "Is everything okay?"

She nodded, not wanting to speak. If she opened her mouth, she was afraid that she might faint.

Natsu peered around the corner. "Dad? We're all out of sugar."

Igneel sighed. "I'll be right back."

As soon as he left, Mavis and Zeref turned around to look at her with the strangest of looks.

"Lucy." Mavis started. "I'm going to ask you a question. Is that alright with you?"

Lucy nodded. She was trying to ignore what had just happened, because she was… how to describe it? It was like swirling in a vortex of her own emotions.

"Why aren't you with your dad right now?"

The question immediately made her feel worse. All she wanted to do now was go home, feed Plue, shower, then sleep. Shed had enough human interaction for one night.

She hesitated. "He- ah, well, he died last year."

The atmosphere became ten times more uncomfortable.

Zeref nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that."

After that, silence. They could hear mumbling from Igneel and Natsu in the next room, but Mavis, nor Zeref, nor Lucy spoke a word.

Lucy looked down in her lap.

She really wanted to go home now.

Soon Natsu and Igneel returned, and the conversations started again. Lucy, however, didn't speak. She didn't speak for the rest of it. When the clock chimed Eight o'clock, she stood up abruptly.

"I should probably go home now. I need to feed Plue."

Igneel nodded. "Have a nice night Lucy."

She walked to the door, only to be stopped by none other than Mavis.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't know. If I had known, I wouldn't have asked at all." Mavis seemed very sincere.

Lucy shook her head. "It's okay. I'm just a bit tired."

Mavis nodded. "Well, have a nice night Lucy." Mavis surprised Lucy with a hug, and then left.

When Lucy was opening the door, Natsu walked up behind her.

She turned around, trying to step back into the hallway.

"Hey," Natsu said. "Isn't the guy supposed to walk the girl home?"

"One, I live right across the hall. Two, that's only for dates. I wasn't aware this was one of those."

Natsu smirked. "Well, I'm a rebel, so I'm walking you home, even if you only live across the hall."

She giggled. For some reason, his sense of humor lifted her spirits.

She tapped his nose. "Well, I'm going home now. I'm a rebel too, you know. I don't need a man to walk me safely across the hall." She walked across and unlocked her door. As she was turning around to close it, she made eye contact with Natsu, who was staring at her from the same spot she'd left him in, and he had the strangest face. It was a mix of embarrassment, happiness, and oh-my-god-I-just-won-a-bet. She closed the door, smiling to herself.

Maybe this Father's Day hadn't been that bad after all.

* * *

Happy Father's Day! :D


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! Thank you so much for your constant love and support throughout this story! I don't actually know how many chapters I want it to have, just expect it to be around twenty. (I think)

I have another story, called Supernova Exorcists, that I would really appreciate if you checked out. If you are waiting on the next chapter, I'm kind of on a writer's block right now, but I'll try to post as soon as I can. I'm also posting this chapter because I won't be able to post for two weeks.

Enjoy!

Natsu stood still from behind the closed door. He was in shock from what had just happened. His feelings betrayed him and made him extremely happy, but at the same time, it was just Lucy.

His friend Lucy. The one who Gray had bought flowers from. The one who helped him prank Gray. The one who had spent a little over three hours with him and his family.

The one who lived across the hall. The one that smelled like books and her hair was like woven sunshine.

He groaned. He was going nuts! Lucy was just a friend, but his heart would betray him and beat faster around her.

He shook his head violently. He needed to keep those thoughts out of his head. There's no way he had a crush on-

"Natsu! The cake's almost gone, do you still want some?"

Natsu bolted to the dining room and began shoveling it all onto his plate.

Zeref chuckled. "It never fails to amaze me how much Natsu can inhale before he can even be remotely full."

Mavis giggled. "He eats enough to feed three elephants."

"Hey!" Natsu said. "Dad? I'm going to go eat this in my room, is that okay?"

Igneel frowned, thinking for a second. "Would your brother be okay with that? After all, it is technically Mavis's room for the time being."

Mavis shook her head. "He can go in there, I don't mind in the slightest. Except, please don't go through my things."

Natsu nodded before catching eye contact with his brother, who was frowning and doing the I'm-watching-you thing before Natsu skedaddled out of there.

Natsu sat on his bed and looked around. Happy came in and settled a foot away from the bed. Natsu began shoveling cake in his mouth, thinking about everything that had just happened. He cringed inwardly at the fact that he had stood so close to her. He didn't even know why he'd done it. He had just acted on instinct. He laid back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about the night so far. Maybe Father's Day hadn't been so bad.

The next morning, Natsu woke up early so he could meet Lucy in the hallway again. As he was pulling on his shoes, he heard rustling and whispers coming from Zeref and Mavis's room. He decided that it wasn't important. He snuck quietly to the front door, careful to open it as quietly as possible, before shimmying through and closing the door softly behind him. He looked at his watch, trying to read it in the dim hallway. He squinted. Five AM. Lucy usually got up and got ready around now, and usually left by five-thirty. He slapped a hand over his face.

 _How do I know all of this?_

Right as he was starting to stretch, none other than Lucy herself walked out. She turned behind her and locked the door before noticing him.

She jumped a little. "Natsu!"

"Hi." He said, grinning.

She smiled. "Why are you up so early?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. I just woke up."

She chuckled. "Well, I have work this morning. See you later." She walked down the stairs. He hurried to catch up with her, trying not to slip off the narrow stairs.

"Natsu, don't you have work?"

"No. Don't have a job."

She nodded thoughtfully to herself. There was a small timeframe where they said nothing until they got to the lobby.

She turned to look at him. "Why don't you have a job?"

He shrugged. "Never thought about it. Fairy Tail offers small tasks for money, but I never thought about getting a permanent job."

She looked thoughful. "Oh." He walked her to work, telling jokes and telling stories. Lucy laughed all the way there.

When they arrived, Lucy turned to him. "Thanks for walking me to work. I felt much safer."

He nodded. "Anytime."

She walked inside to work, and Natsu stood on the sidewalk, staring at his feet. He couldn't believe this. There was no way. Absolutely no way, in a million years, that he had a crush on Lucy Heartfilia. He looked at his phone and groaned. He hadn't made it back before his dad had woken up, at now he had thirty thousand texts asking where he was.

He began the walk back to his apartment and flipped through his MagicWatch account.

MagicWatch was a social media platform that allowed one to post, send, like, and comment on pictures. You could customize your home page to any pattern, including an icon that you could add a picture to. Natsu was scrolling through his feed when he spotted a picture Lucy had just posted. It was a picture of her and Levy, who both worked in the flower shop, apparently. He liked the photo, then remembered that he hadn't followed Lucy yet. So, he proceeded to follow her. By the time he'd gotten halfway through his feed, however, he was home. He opened the door and was immediately bombarded with questions.

"Where were you-"

"Food's getting cold!"

"We woke up and you were gone!"

Natsu blinked in surprise. "I just walked Lucy to work, that's all. I thought I'd be back by the time any of you woke up, though.

Igneel sighed. "Natsu, you should've asked first."

"I know."

Zeref and Mavis were making toast, waffles, and pancakes in the kitchen. They worked like a well-oiled machine, moving from one food to the next without breaking anything. Natsu walked over to the

counter and sat down facing them. Zeref frowned in Natsu's direction.

"Natsu, why did you walk Lucy to work this morning?"

Natsu shrugged. "Felt like it."

Zeref frowned a little deeper but continued to help Mavis in the kitchen.

After the Dragneel's had eaten breakfast, Natsu shouted that he was going to Fairy Tail and left. On his way there, he put in his headphones. The song that came on was his favorite. He turned the volume up and leisurely strolled to Fairy Tail.

When Natsu stepped inside, however, chaos ensued.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys, sorry for being absent for so long. I recently started school, and it's been hectic… but I'm back now! :D announcements: sadly, I will be deleting my first story, Supernova Exorcists. It had a good run, but I'm afraid that I'm not able to progress the story due to a horrible case of writer's block. I feel horrible for letting you all down, but I can't seem to get around it. Maybe I'll rewrite it another day, but not now while school's going on. Anyways, its been a while, I know. After I got back from my trip in July, I was suddenly bombarded with band practice and unable to post. Then school started, and I got to meet some of my old friends again, which was probably the best thin r. I started working on my art a bit more, and its improved greatly since last year. (thank god) and now, I'm bringing you a chapter 5! :3 I hope you're ready, 'cause it gets better from now on :)

Lucy was curled up on the couch, scrolling through her MagicWatch account after work. As she was looking at some of the likes she got, she noticed Natsu's was among them. Her feelings betrayed her, and she smiled to herself. She felt giddy around Natsu, and she had no idea why. How long had she known him now? It had felt like years. But sadly, it had only been a month. She turned off her phone. She needed a snack.

As she walked into the kitchen, she got a message from an unknown number.

?: is this Lucy?

She frowned. A stalker maybe?

Lucy: who is this?

The stranger answered almost immediately.

?: hmph. I'd expect you to answer first.

The mannerisms seemed familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

?: hello? You gonna answer?

Lucy: tell me who you are or I'm blocking you.

?: rude. I just want to know if this is Lucy.

Lucy: fine, yes. this is she.

?: cool. This is Natsu btw :)

Lucy's hand flew to her throat. This was Natsu?

Lucy: omg natsu?

?: yes silly

Lucy rolled her eyes. Definitely Natsu. She set her phone down on the table and grabbed a snack. Suddenly, she heard the front door to her apartment swing open.

She grabbed a pot and her phone and hid under the table. She heard heavy footsteps walk slowly around the apartment. She gripped the pot tighter. Suddenly, the footsteps walked into the kitchen.

She stopped breathing, and any movement right now might get her killed-

"Lucy, what the heck are you doing under the table?"

She peeked out to see none other than Natsu himself, in his salmon-haired glory. She glared harshly.

"Natsu Dragneel. Why are you in my apartment?" she got out from under the table and set the pot back on the stove.

He grinned. "Dunno. I wanted to see you."

 _Me too_ , she wanted to say. But she couldn't show him that weakness. Her walls went up, and she frowned deeply.

"I didn't invite you here. Why did you break in?"

He scratched the back of his head, seemingly at a loss for words. "You see, there's this thing at Fairy Tail, and, uh- it happens once a year."

Lucy nodded. "Still not a valid reason for breaking in, but okay."

"I'm getting to that!" he hissed. "It's like this party. It's not fancy at all, nothing at Fairy Tail really is. But we all hang out together and stuff, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me-,"

Lucy smiled inwardly, extremely happy.

"- And Gray, and Juvia, and Erza, and Jellal, and-,"

Lucy deflated. She had been hoping that Natsu and her would be alone, but she guessed not.

"-and-,"

"Natsu!"

"Yeah?"

"I get it." She said, trying to put on an amused expression.

"So, will you come?" he was bouncing on the balls of his feet with such excitement. _Anymore_ , Lucy thought, _and he'll be on the moon_.

She pretended to think about it. "Anything regarding dress code?"

He tilted his head, confused. "Dress code? There's no dress code at Fairy Tail parties."

Lucy nodded. "Okay then."

Natsu ran over and vaulted over the back of her couch and landed on the cushions. Lucy sighed. Now he was going to stay over? Fantastic.

"Hey, Luce! Got any snacks?"

"Not for you!" she called back.

"Meanie!" he wailed.

She giggled quietly into the palm of her hand. She began walking towards the couch with her bag of chips. Natsu looked over at her and frowned.

"I thought you said you didn't have any snacks!"

"I said none for you. Now scooch." She made him move his feet and sat down next to him. Natsu, being the annoying little kid he was, reached over and made a grab for the chip bag.

"Sharing is caring, Lucy!" Lucy shrieked and backed up, pulling the bag safely out of his reach.

To which Natsu responded by leaning over farther, and almost squishing Lucy. Suddenly, Natsu fell off the couch, and, in his haste, pulled Lucy down with him. she yelped and landed on top of Natsu.

Natsu was almost as pink as his hair. Lucy was as red as the socks she coincidentally been wearing. Lucy's grip on the chip bag loosened.

Natsu, however, didn't release his firm grip on Lucy's arm.

Lucy could hear Natsu's heartbeat. It sounded like drums it was so loud. Natsu's breath smelled like whatever the heck Natsu had eaten for lunch, but suddenly Lucy craved that scent.

Suddenly, interrupting their awkward moment, there was a loud knock on the door.

"Natsu? It's Zeref-,"

"And Mavis!"

"You shouldn't break into her apartment, Natsu, give her some space!"

Lucy swore she heard Natsu mutter something along the lines of, _too late for that_.

Lucy was about to move when the door swung open to reveal none other than Zeref and Mavis.

Mavis was trying to hold back something between a smile and a laugh. Zeref looked scandalized.

"I guess we caught you both an awkward timing. We'll come back later." Zeref said, trying to keep a straight face.

Lucy rolled off of Natsu so quick she was a blur. Natsu sat up immediately and started trying to explain himself. Lucy couldn't even hear him as she started processing what was happening.

"Lucy, are you okay?" it was Mavis.

Lucy nodded slowly. "Yeah. That whole scene- that was an accident. Natsu and I were sitting on the couch, then he reached for my chips, and then he fell and pulled me down with him-,"

"Lucy. I believe you." Mavis smiled.

"You- you do?" Lucy was still in shock.

"Yeah!" Mavis said. "Besides, Natsu does come on a little strong sometimes. Even if he doesn't mean it."

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god SOMEONE believes me."

Zeref was whisper shouting at Natsu and Natsu was whispering back. Somehow, Lucy found that Natsu seemed as in shock as she was.

"Well, anyways, we should be going, Natsu." Zeref said a little too loudly. Mavis nodded.

"Bye Lucy!" Mavis said happily. The trio left with Lucy feeling more confused than she had been in the past year.

Plue came in, wagging his tail.

"Plue, I have no idea what I just got myself into." Plue wuffed in agreement.

sorry if you were expecting something longer, but my valid excuse is that im sick rn soooo :/ anyways, hope you enjoyed! :D


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